Talk has been doing rounds in Uganda and Rwanda that ‘something’ must be wrong with our favourite bus Jaguar bus company. For the last two or more years, Jaguar has been in the news over fatal accidents. You remember the one that almost claimed everybody who was on board? Many of the dead victims were actually Rwandans. Surely speaking, all of us know that until a company of Jaguar’s might comes and joins the transport industry, Jaguar is still by far the one that is commonly used and known. Should we go by its increasing deaths? Last year, a Jaguar accident claimed one Rwandan lady just like the one that recently claimed another. For how long are the people of East Africa especially Rwandans going to endure these merciless death traps. Many reasons have been advanced with some associating these accidents to ‘juju’ (African chemistry) but I don’t want to be tempted into believing that. Jaguar is the busiest bus company we have that transports people on the Kampala – Kigali road and one can say that it stands high risks of making accidents given the long hours it spends on the road. Companies like Gaso, Onatracom, Regional and the latest being Amahoro are really not as busy as Jaguar. This should not sound like it’s a defense point for the company, but a reminder that it should strictly regulate its drivers who have been labeled as ‘sleepy’ while driving. East Africans are looking at big opportunities that are coming with integration; they cannot afford to lose their beloved ones at the hands of irresponsible transport companies. Over to you Jaguar managers. Nyamirambo
